A Long Day's Night
by Vinette Knights
Summary: In Puente Antiguo, New Mexico, resides Leigh Kensington, an X-gene carrier who can absorb energy in all its forms. An assistant to Jane Foster and Erik Selvig, Leigh is intelligent, adventurous, determined, and...deaf. Then comes the man in the desert, who changes her life in a way she never thought imaginable. Can she survive this new world she's been dragged into?


_There's a demon inside,_  
_Bloodlet it out, bloodlet it out_  
_Til you love me again_  
_There's a demon inside,_  
_Bloodlet it out, bloodlet it out_  
_Til you love me again_

-Bloodlet; **by Munroe**

* * *

Leigh slept without a care. She was laying haphazardly on her bed, her body tangled in her sheets as she snored lightly. Her hair was a mess of knots and tangles, sticking up in all kinds of directions, and her pajamas were wrinkled and unkempt from her sleeping in them. The day she was sleeping into was Friday, which for her meant a day off. It's the only day she gets off, actually. For Leigh, it means no organizing, no paperwork, and no prepping for any adventures. She gets to sleep in as late as she wants, she gets to drink her favorite teas instead of bitter coffee. She gets to _relax_. She absolutely _loved_ Fridays.

It was about 7:30 that morning, as she continued dozing, that her front door opened, a young brown-haired woman stepping inside. Leigh was not able to hear the footsteps stomping around her apartment, or the creakiness of her bedroom door opening, so she was completely unaware that she was being watched from above. It wasn't until she felt her sheets being roughly pulled off her that she realized someone else was in the room with her.

Leigh's eyes snapped open as she bolted up, her chest heaving and her heart hammering in her chest. She could practically _hear_ her frantic heartbeat. Her eyes quickly darted around the room, trying to find the threat, before settling on the figure in front of her.

Jane Foster, with her arms crossed over her chest.

_What?!_ Leigh angrily motioned and mouthing along with it, her brows furrowed and her eyes blazing in frustration. Jane let out a little huff, putting her hands on her hips.

_It's time to get up,_ she signed to her, her motions a little choppy, but understandable. _I need you to come in, and I don't know how else to get your attention._

Leigh felt confusion mix with her frustration, as she gave Jane a disbelieving look.

_It's Friday!_ she signed angrily, her motions becoming bigger with emphasis. Looking at her clock, she felt her frustration grow. It wasn't even 8 in the morning. _I could be sleeping for another couple hours. Go ask Darcy or Erik if you need help that badly._

_I already have them doing other things,_ Jane signed, her motions becoming choppier with her own growing frustration. _You're the only one who's available today, so can you please help me out?_

Leigh had to glare at her, knowing that if she said no Jane would never forget it.

-8-

While Leigh did appreciate her job, she found it overwhelming at times. A very big requirement was being available at all hours — daytime, nighttime it didn't matter! — and that could be an issue at times. Day hours were mostly for going over research findings, organizing paperwork, online files, prepping for whatever's next, etc.; while night hours were mostly spent in Jane's van, in the middle of the desert or wherever else, waiting for something to happen. Very, very rarely did Jane give anyone a little room to just sit back and collect themselves. Everything with her had to be "go-go-go," get one project done and then jump into another one. On many occasions, all-nighters would have to be pulled in order to finish projects, only because a lot of the data that needed collecting _had_ to be collected at night. There was never any point in arguing, since it only made the situation(s) worse. These all-nighters left everyone more than just _exhausted_, but for Jane, it didn't bother her a whole lot. She'd pour herself a cup of coffee and jump right into her work. The woman had no life outside of her research, and she made sure her friends/colleagues didn't have a life either.

One issue Leigh had was with Jane's stubbornness. There was absolutely no reasoning with her. Once Jane's mind was set on something, nothing could change it. No amount of arguing, bribing, or pleading would even make her reconsider, it would only make her more determined (somehow). Even Erik, Jane's mentor and a more seasoned scientist, had very little success in actually getting through to her. In times where the arguing and shouting would come in, Leigh would attempt to tune it out, not wanting to deal with all the noise. She could only take so much.

While, certainly, the list could go on, Leigh had to remind herself to be grateful. She had a job — albeit it wasn't entirely conventional — and she managed to make friends with her colleagues in the process. Sure, she wasn't a scientist in any way, she didn't even have a college education, but she enjoyed what she did. It gave her a way to keep busy, even if she didn't like it all the time. Besides, she never had to worry about anything drastic happening. She was always grateful for that.

-8-

For the entirety of the trip to Jane's apartment, a scowl was plastered on Leigh's face. Not only was she upset over getting up early, but she wasn't even given enough time to make tea. For Leigh to function during the day, she always had a morning cup of tea; preferring it more over coffee any day. While Leigh thought the smell was amazing, she thought the taste was revolting. It was too bitter for her, even if she drowned it in flavoring. No amount of cream, sugar, milk, whatever would change her mind.

_Are you going to be mad all day?_ Jane asked, a frown on her face. _I'll give you tomorrow off if you want._

Leigh's jaw set, her lips thinning. She shoved her hands in her pockets, refusing to acknowledge what Jane had just signed to her. From the corner of her eye she saw Jane huff in annoyance before continuing on in silence. Probably for the best. Maybe later on in the day, when everything was finished, they could sit down and discuss it; until then however, Leigh just wasn't in the mood.

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**Welcome readers! This is what I've decided to dub, a PILOT chapter. This is a test chapter, I want to see how it's received. So everyone please, I'm looking for reviews on this chapter. If you like the chapter and would like to see this turn into a proper story, review it and let me know! I want to know what you like, dislike, want to see, everything. I know it's a short chapter, but if I feel like this goes well enough, I'll try and write longer chapters in the future.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except for Leigh. ****If you want the gist of who the character Leigh is, go and read the little bio section on my profile. I've got plenty of info on her.**


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